Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot In 3rd Place, Needs Miracle To Make Runoff

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot suffered an epic and well deserved loss in today’s election.

The race will go to an April runoff because no candidate received 50% of the vote.

Lori tried to downplay the crime issue but the people didnt but it. She said: “This is a national phenomenon, if the person who’s scared in my city it doesn’t matter what’s happening anywhere else.

“Of course, you can’t have lived through what we lived through and say I did everything perfect.

“We made mistakes.”

Tough on crime Paul Vallas got the most votes. According to his bio:

Paul served the Illinois state legislature for ten years, first as an advisor to the Education and  Appropriation and Revenue Committees, then as the Director of the Illinois Economic and Fiscal Commission, which is Illinois’ legislative economic forecasting and research arm.

He developed a strong working relationship with groundbreaking State Senator Dawn Clark Netsch, who became a mentor and friend for many years. During his tenure he was involved in helping resolve  numerous financial challenges and state economic development financing issues.​

Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley recruited Paul in 1990 to reform the scandal-ridden Department of Revenue and to revamp the City’s tax and fees system. When promoted to Budget Director, Paul ended the City’s recurring budget crisis, while simultaneously allocating funding to put an additional 1,500 police on the streets. He financed the largest infrastructure investment program since the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, including resurfacing 70-percent, or 38,000 miles, of Chicago’s streets and roads.

​In 1995, Mayor Daley took control over the financially bankrupt and academically failing Chicago Public Schools and appointed Paul as the nation’s first public school district CEO.

As CEO, Paul closed a projected five-year $1.3 billion budget deficit, balanced six consecutive budgets, instituted the largest school construction plan in the nation’s history ($3 billion), improved test scores each year, created 15 International Baccalaureate Academies and opened the nation’s first public High School Military Academies. He left  the district with labor peace with no teacher strikes, fully funded pensions, $1.2 billion in cash reserves, and unprecedented bond rating upgrades – twelve during his tenure.